These are products that give off a gas or fumes. They make you feel light-headed and giddy when you inhale them. At larger doses they can make a person act and feel as if they have been drinking alcohol. The effects only last for a few minutes, so a person may use them over and over again to keep feeling high.

The 4 Kinds of Inhalants are:

Volatile Solvents (e.g. gas, paint thinner, glue)

Spray Cans (e.g. cooking spray, hairspray)

Gases (e.g. laughing gas, butane)

Nitrites (e.g. video head cleaners, room odourizers)

People use inhalants in many ways. For example, solvents are usually "bagged." People put them in a bag, close the bag around their mouth and nose and then breathe in the fumes. Some inhalants are "huffed" - people pour the inhalant onto a cloth, hold the cloth up to their face ad breathe in the fumes. Gases used for medical purposes are kept in tanks or dispensers. They are inhaled through tubes or balloons. Nitrites are usually "sniffed." They are either inhaled directly from the small glass tubes they come in or huffed from a cloth (for more information, see "Here to Help).

The use of inhalants is especially popular among 10 - 16 year olds. They are legal and easy to find (often around the house), and the effects are short term.

The effect depends on which inhalant is used and how much.

Short Term Effects

Faster heart rate

Watering eyes, running nose

Sneezing, coughing

Seeing or believeing things that aren't there (Hallucinations, delusions)

Slurred speech

Problems with coordination

Dizzy, light headed

Feelings of joy and euphoria

Less inhibited and may say or do things you usually wouldn't

Sleepy

Nausea or vomiting

Blackouts

Weak muscles

Headache

Slow reflexes

Hostile and ready to fight

Apathetic, don't care

Confused, delirious (at high doses)

Long Term Effects

Loss of weight

Low red blood cell count (Anaemia)

Weak muscles

Confused and disoriented

Problems with coordination

Depressed, grouchy and irritable

Withdrawal Effects

People do not seem to become physically dependent on inhalants. But it is possible to become psychologically dependent and think you need to keep taking them. Heavy users could experience some of these mild withdrawal symptoms:

Select Addiction & Substance Use

Resources

LearningLinks is an online learning resource designed to enhance knowledge, skills and confidence in child and youth mental health to support the needs of health care professionals and improving access for children, youth and families to medical specialists with expertise in child and youth mental health in BC.

The opioid crisis is in the hearts and minds of people all across the province. This devastating public health emergency is especially top of mind for parents, educators, and health care providers as they endeavour to protect those they love, and those they work with. In this Pinwheel, our panel will cover an overview of the opioid crisis (including dispelling misinformation), discuss how it is affecting youth, and talk about the take home naloxone program.

This is an agency of Provincial Health Services Authority, providing provincial tertiary mental health services to the citizens of British Columbia. Programs include: Adult Tertiary Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatric Services, Child & Adolescent Mental Health, Women’s Reproductive Mental Health, as well as the Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for children and youth located at the BC Children’s Hospital.

Through a wide range of fundraising events and opportunities, The BC Children's Hospital Foundation is united with its donors by a single, simple passion - to improve the health and the lives of the young people who enter BC Children's Hospital every day.